There are a number of variables which must be considered when calculating the heat loss of a dwelling. These variables include:
1. The location of the dwelling. PA1 2. Air change heat loss. PA1 3. Duct heat loss for air system. PA1 4. Wind factor. PA1 5. Lifestyle of people occupying the dwelling. PA1 6. Upgrades to the dwelling. PA1 Area is equal to the surface area of the material used; PA1 Temp is equal to the difference between the temperature inside and outside the dwelling; and PA1 "R" is the Thermal Resistance of the material used in the dwelling. PA1 1. Upgrades to the dwelling. PA1 2. Lifestyle of people occupying the dwelling. PA1 3. Location of dwelling. PA1 1. Upgrades to thermal insulation within the dwelling. PA1 2. Lifestyle of people occupying the dwelling. PA1 3. Location of the dwelling. PA1 4. Status of outside air temperature. PA1 5. Humidity within the dwelling. PA1 setting a desired set temperature point of a conditioned space; PA1 measuring over a period of time, the time the temperature of said conditioned space is below said set temperature point; PA1 calculating the thermal charge of a thermal storage unit using said measurement; and PA1 charging said thermal storage unit in accordance with said calculated thermal charge. PA1 a thermal storage unit to heat a conditioned space; PA1 a thermostat to allow a desired set point temperature of said conditioned space to be set; PA1 a controller in communication with said thermostat and said thermal storage unit, said controller measuring over a period of time when the temperature of said conditioned space is below said set point temperature as determined by said thermostat and calculating the thermal charge of said thermal storage unit using said measurement, said controller charging said thermal storage unit in accordance with said calculated thermal charge.
A person, calculating the heat loss of a dwelling, also has to account for the material used within the dwelling and surface area of the walls and windows exposed to the outside elements and then use the following formula to compute the heat loss in Btuh (British Thermal Units per hour) or kWh (KiloWatts per Hour) units.
Heat Loss can be expressed as: EQU Heat Loss=Area.cndot.Temp!/R
Where:
"R" is expressed in English units, i.e. feet, degrees Fahrenheit, hour.
"RSI" is expressed in SI or metric units, i.e. meters, degrees Celsius.
A R12 rating would have an equivalent RSI rating of 2.11.
To convert "R" values to "RSI" values, divide the "R" value by 5.678
Since the above Heat Loss formula has to be applied to every material used within the dwelling and is dependent on the construction of the dwelling, the heat loss calculation can be complex and time consuming.
Thermal storage systems are typically installed in dwellings to provide heat by conduction, convection and/or radiation. A large thermal storage system will often over heat the dwelling while too small a thermal storage system will not be able to compensate for the heat loss of the dwelling resulting in insufficient heating.
Currently, timers are used to control thermal storage systems. Timers simply turn the thermal storage systems on or off, regardless of weather patterns. This often results in the thermal storage systems either being over charged or under charged. Very rarely do the thermal storage systems conform to the dwelling's thermal specifications.
Furthermore the timers do not allow for changes in the lifestyle of the dwelling occupants.
Patents, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,206 issued to Saunders and U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,666 issued to Wedekind, disclose the control of thermal storage systems by predicting the temperature of the outside environment.
Temperature predictions rarely come true and therefore, these thermal storage systems do not live up to expectations.
Furthermore similar dwellings could have different "R" values due to:
Therefore, thermal storage systems may not perform up to expectations.
The `heat-request` signal from the thermostat takes into account the following and therefore is a better indicator for charging a thermal storage unit:
As human comfort for heating includes the humidity factor also, using the air temperature alone does not give a true picture.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel method of charging a thermal storage system and a novel thermal storage system.